الفهرس 
Normal menstrual cycleOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Adolescent girls constitute a vulnerable group not only with respect to their social status but also in relation to their health. In this regard, menstruation is regarded unclean or dirty in society. The issue of menstrual hygiene is inadequately acknowledged and has not received proper attention. Good hygienic practices,such as use of sanitary pads and adequate washing of the genital areas, are essential during menstruation period.
Women and girls of reproductive age need access to clean and soft absorbent sanitary products which in the long run protect their health from various infections. To this effect, the practice of good menstrual hygiene reduces the incidence of reproductive tract infection.
Thus, the consequences ofreproductive tract infectionare severe and may result in significant negative impact to a woman’s health including chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea (painful periods) and in severe cases infertility. Reproductive tract infections, which have become a silent epidemic that devastates women’s lives is closely related to poor menstrual hygiene.
Menstrual hygiene management has received increasing attention as a public health issue. After a history of silence, stakeholders from governments to local charities have started to speak about the barrier that the management of menstruation presents to gender equality and the potential for programs to address the problem.
Qualitative research has documented challenges girls face in managing their menses and indicated health, education and psychosocial wellbeing consequences of poor management.
In the present study we aimed to assess knowledge, Attitude and practice during menstruation and menstrual hygiene among school-going girls.
Subject and method:
1) Type of study
The study was a cross-sectional study.
2) Study setting
The study was conducted in two governmental secondary general schools from Eastern and Western educational zones as well as one from the rural sector and one technical school in El-Mahallah El-Kobra City.
3) Study subjects:
The studied participants were secondary school girls from El- Mahallah El-Kobra City, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt.
4) Tools of study:
The study was carried out using a predesigned questionnaire.
The questionnaire was designed in Arabic and consisted of two parts:
First part:
This for assessment of personal and socioeconomic status
Second part:
This for assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices of the participants regarding menstrual hygiene.
Result:
The demographic details of the selected girls. It is while the age range was 15- 19 years. Majority of the participants were from an urban residence, the girls belonged to low (2%), middle (42.6%) and high (55. 4%) SES. Most of girls reported that their parents have secondary and higher education.Also about two third (67.6%) girls reported their mother‘s housewives, and most of their fathers are employee or retired. also the age of menarche range between 9-14 with about two thirds of girls 67%between 12 -14.majority of students
The awareness about menstruation before encompassing menarche. It is evident that 53.1% of the participants were aware, and the most important source of information was mothers, while friends and teachers also contributed to their information and also shows that only 47.7%know the cause of menstruation, 45.2% know the source of menstrual blood and 50.3% don’t know the path of the menstrual blood.
The perceived advantages of sanitary pads were that they were comfortable and provided adequate absorption, while the main disadvantages were that they were expensive or not available. 83.6% of the girls said they needed more information about menstrual hygiene.
The pattern of use of sanitary napkins by girls. It can be perused that majority of the selected girls (98.6%) used disposable pads and a small proportion (1.4%) used nondisposable one. With respect to storage of the sanitary napkins and the pattern of use, it was found that 64.5% girls stored the clean (unused) pads in the dress cabinetand 18.8% girls used bathroom.Practice of changing pads during night was mentioned by20.7% while changing in school was (65.1%). Majority (67.3%) of the girls changed napkins 1-6 times a day and 30.4% don’t remember.
Most of students examined had a good knowledge and good practices of menstrual hygiene
Residence is significant determent of knowledge, source of knowledge is also significant and socioeconomic status is also significant. Also more than two third (79%) girls reported that their families and friends were the main source of information about menstruation followed by media (12.5%) and finally school (8.5%) which show significance.But we found that no significance between residence, age, socio-economic status and source of knowledge and the practice of the students.